Dad, daughter arrested after DNA proved they had child together

A 46-year-old Bethel man and his 23-year-old daughter have been arrested for incest after police said DNA tests proved they had a child together.

Bethel police arrested George Sayers Jr. and Tiffany Hartford Monday and charged them with third-degree sexual assault after the DNA tests proved they were father, daughter and parents of the child.

Police said they discovered the incest when they got a complaint of the family distributing pornography.

Investigators told Eyewitness News they were tipped off to this relationship by the former girlfriend of the daughter.

She contacted police when she learned the family was selling pornographic photos and videos of her taken while she was underage. The videos showed Hartford and the woman engaging in sexual acts when she was as young as 16.

That investigation began all the way back in February and ended with the father and daughter being arrested this week.

The unidentified woman, who was of legal age, said she was introduced to Sayers as her "husband/father."

According to the police affidavit, even though she knew the sexual encounters were being filmed, she was upset that Sayers was selling the videos for $40 and pictures for $5 without her knowing. Her cousins, who live next door, were allegedly helping to distribute these pornographic videos and photos.

Sayers and Hartford live together at a home on Nashville Road with eight other family members.

In Connecticut, incest is treated as sexual assault. Both the child and the parent can be charged if they engage in sexual intercourse with another person they know is related to him or her.

When police interviewed Sayers and Hartford, she claimed they didn't know Sayers was her father because at the time of her birth, her mother was having sex with Sayers and another man named Lee Hartford.

Tiffany Hartford told police she believed that Lee Hartford was her father, but they admitted to police they didn't know for sure.

Sayers is being held on a $100,000 bond and Tiffany Hartford is being held on a $25,000 bond.

The child is currently in the care of the Department of Children and Families. Tiffany Hartford, once released, must comply with DCF.

Bethel residents were surprised to learn about the case of incest in their town.

"I have two kids myself, so that's very unsettling," said Rebecca Chamberlain of Bethel.